Building projects bustin’ out all over

Steel framing is in place at the new Paul Vi Catholic High School building in Loudoun County. COURTESY

Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandra will break ground for its new academic building Sept. 18. COURTESY

Demolition is at a standstill at Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington while engineers and contractors decide the best way to brace the wall between the remains of the old IHM convent and the school Aug. 21. ASHLEIGH KASSOCK | CATHOLIC HERALD

Fresh Bermuda sod grows on the newly renovated football field at Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School in Dumfries. The field also will feature a new press box and bleachers by September. ASHLEIGH KASSOCK | CATHOLIC HERALD

The four diocesan Catholic schools are building, renovating and
generally shaking up their surroundings, whether it's creating a whole new
building or sprucing up the athletic fields. See what’s happening at each.

Bishop Ireton High School, Alexandria

Bishop Ireton will break ground for its new academic center a few
weeks after the students return. Head of School Tom Curry hopes the four-story
structure will be open by fall of next year. The 40,000-square-foot building
will include a new library, science labs and a new cafeteria that triples the
size of the current dining hall.

Once the new building is finished, renovations to the existing
building will be completed that winter. The old library, cafeteria and other
rooms will become classrooms and administrative offices.

The current student body numbers 800, and the new wing will allow
the school capacity to grow to 925, said Curry. The school was founded in 1964
as an all-boys school, and then physically expanded in 1990 when it became
co-ed. Curry believes the building project will be the largest Ireton has
undertaken since then.

Paul VI Catholic High School, Fairfax

Paul VI broke ground on its new Loudoun County home in February,
and the building is on schedule to be completed in 13 months, said Doug Gehley,
senior architect on the project. The school hopes to open in the fall of 2020.
Floor slabs have been poured and the majority of steel framing is in place for
the academic and athletic buildings. In some places, drywall is going up.

Soon, the main bridge that spans the campus wetlands and connects
the athletic building to the academic buildings will be built. Three major
parking lots have been paved. “The beautifully detailed chapel trusses are in
place and await the finished roof,” Gehley said.

Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School, Dumfries

The renovation of Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High
School’s two athletic fields in Dumfries has been a growing success. Earlier
this summer, a practice field was sprigged with Bermuda grass seed, while the
adjacent stadium field received fresh Bermuda sod.

According to athletic director Chris Vander Woude, the fields are
on schedule to open by the first week in September. The stadium field’s 8-foot
by 18-foot press box and 700-seat bleachers are in their final stage of county
approval. They are scheduled to be installed in mid-September.

In addition to the two newly renovated fields, the high school
will have access to the multipurpose fields at the Ali Krieger Sports Complex, which
opened June 9. The diocese entered into an agreement with Prince William County
to let the complex use the school’s parking lot while giving the high school access
to the county fields for daytime practices and occasional home games.

Bishop O’Connell High School, Arlington

In Arlington, Bishop O’Connell High School’s 60th anniversary
construction project began in August with the demolition of the original
convent for the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. While 90
percent of the convent has been removed, a portion of the convent still stands
as contractors and engineers decide on the best way to safely detach the
remaining convent walls from the school wall.

According to construction Manager Jason Louis, this will not affect
the beginning of phase two of the project — the creation of a front pedestrian
plaza is scheduled to start at the beginning of 2019. The third phase involves a
new main entrance and student commons, followed by the construction of a
three-story academic building and new chapel scheduled to open fall 2020.